Summary

  • Votes are still being counted in the US midterms - the result of which will decide the balance of power for the next two years of President Biden's presidency

  • The pace of US inflation - a key issue during the midterms - has eased a little, but it is still at a decade-high level

  • Biden says figures are a sign of economic strength, and his administration is making progress on its efforts to bring costs down

  • Republicans look set to take the House of Representatives - the lower chamber of Congress - but control of the Senate is still too close to call

  • Whichever party wins two of the three outstanding contests in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada will control the Senate

  • The race in Georgia will not be decided until a run-off election on 6 December

  • Biden says he's relieved that his Democratic party performed better than expected and said "a giant red wave did not happen" as had been predicted

  • Donald Trump, who is expected to announce a presidential bid, has admitted the midterm results were "somewhat disappointing"

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  1. 'We won!': Kentucky abortion advocates celebratepublished at 00:09 Greenwich Mean Time 10 November 2022
    published at 00:09 10 November 2022

    Alexandra Ostasiewicz
    Reporting from Kentucky

    Abortion advocates celebrate

    “We won!”

    That was Maria's Contretas' reaction after voters in Kentucky decided against removing abortion rights from the state’s constitution.

    “I feel like a weight has been lifted from my chest,” said Contreras, who has been volunteering for months to protect abortion access in her state. She was at a watch party in Louisville as the results rolled in.

    Originally from Colombia, she has lived in Kentucky for about five years and started volunteering in June after Roe v Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court.

    She had told herself she’d be content with either outcome, but said it wasn’t until she got the good news that she let herself feel how much the win meant to her.

    In the days before the election, Contreras brought her mum, Eldima Valero, along to knock on doors and get voters to the polls.

    Her mother was also by her side on election night as the pair celebrated the victory.

    Eldima Valero (left) and Maria Contreras (right)
  2. Here's where things standpublished at 23:45 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 23:45 9 November 2022

    Image shows the Capitol building at nightImage source, Getty Images

    As night falls here in Washington DC, let's take stock of the latest as control of the US Congress hangs in the balance following Tuesday's midterm elections.

    Republicans close in on the House: Many predicted the party would easily take control of the lower chamber of Congress - but that isn't how it played out. Democrats fended off challenges in closely-watched battleground races and even flipped some seats. Even so, the Republicans are still likely to win control by a narrow margin

    Senate remains in limbo: Control of the upper chamber of Congress rests with three key races that are yet to be declared - Nevada, Arizona and Georgia. The latter will be determined after a run-off in December. The others? That's less clear as the races are still too early to call. There's a strong possibility, though, that Senate control could be decided by that Georgia run-off

    The bigger picture: Frustration with inflation and President Joe Biden had been expected to drive a dramatic Republican sweep - and while the party could still take control of both chambers, this didn't quite happen. Analysts suggest anger over abortion rights may have boosted Democrats

    There are many more interesting angles - and we've been taking a deeper look across the BBC News website. We've explored why the predicted Republican 'wave' didn't happen. We're tracking how election deniers have fared. And BBC correspondents have given their analysis from some key states.

  3. What would a Republican win mean for the House?published at 23:28 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 23:28 9 November 2022

    Barbara Plett Usher
    Reporting from Washington

    The scope for US policy change would be greatly limited if the Republicans take back the House of Representatives as expected.

    President Joe Biden has been on the offence for the past two years. He’s shepherded major legislation through Congress; tackling climate change, the coronavirus pandemic, infrastructure and competition with China.

    Now he’ll be on the defence trying to implement those laws and protect his achievements.

    His administration has also been strategising on how to handle a flood of expected Republican-led investigations.

    The Republicans want to probe everything from Biden’s handling of the military withdrawal from Afghanistan to the business dealings of his son, Hunter.

    When it comes to policy, the Republicans are talking about increasing domestic energy production, cracking down on illegal immigration at the southern border and renewing fiscal restraint. But it’s not clear that can lead to legislation – as Biden will have the veto pen.

  4. How did pro-Trump election deniers do?published at 23:00 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 23:00 9 November 2022

    Mike Wendling
    US disinformation reporter

    Lauren Boebert is locked in a tough battle to retain her House seat in ColoradoImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Lauren Boebert is locked in a tough battle to retain her House seat in Colorado

    It seems counterintuitive to say, but election deniers did not have a great election night.

    So far we’ve counted nearly 100 candidates who’ve fully denied the results of the 2020 election among the winners for top state and federal offices.

    They include Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose personal Twitter account was suspended for breaking rules on coronavirus misinformation, and JD Vance, the newly-elected Ohio senator. Both have supported Donald Trump’s false claims that widespread cheating cost him the 2020 presidential election. In total, a BBC analysis found 178 candidates who publicly declared such views.

    That seems like a conspiracy wave. However, many high-profile election deniers who made the issue central to their campaign did worse than expected or lost outright. It’s still very early, but it’s possible that casting doubt on the electoral process cost them votes.

    Colorado’s Lauren Boebert is locked in a tight race against her Democrat challenger. And we’ve also been tracking the fortunes of an election denying group co-founded by a QAnon influencer, the America First SOS coalition.

    Three coalition candidates have lost, three others are in tight contests, and just one has won – Diego Morales in Indiana.

    More on the situation as it stands right now: How many election deniers won?

  5. Analysis

    Biden refuses to change coursepublished at 22:23 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 22:23 9 November 2022

    Anthony Zurcher
    BBC North America correspondent

    Joe Biden just celebrated moral, if not always actual, victories in the 2022 midterm elections with a rare extended press conference.

    Even though his party seems poised to lose its majority in the House of Representatives and could still lose control of the Senate, expectations were the results would be much worse – and that voter judgement about Biden’s first two years in office would be severe.

    That was not the case, as the president was quick to point out.

    “Democrats had a good night,” Biden said.

    He did acknowledge what exit polls and the defeat of some Democratic candidates made clear, however – that Americans are frustrated with the direction the country is heading and concerned about inflation, crime, threats to democracy and infringement on abortion rights.

    But when pressed on whether he would change course based on the midterm results, his answer was simple. He wouldn’t. Rather, he said, the problem was that Americans did not fully understand the good things that his administration has done.

    He’ll have two years to make that case to voters, and deal with the possibility of Republicans calling the shots in Congress, before a potential re-election bid that he says he still intends to launch - with an announcement he suggested will come early next year.

  6. WATCH: Biden chuckles at thought of Trump running againpublished at 21:52 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 21:52 9 November 2022

  7. US midterm results made Biden breathe a 'sigh of relief'published at 21:49 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 21:49 9 November 2022

    Biden says the US midterm results have made him breathe a "sigh of relief", especially with some election deniers being kept out of office.

    Biden says that after the Capitol riot on 6 January 2021, many world leaders thought democracy in the US was on the brink.

    "They want to know, is the United States stable? Are we the same democracy that we've always been?" Biden says.

    On a potential 2024 presidential bid, he said he intends on taking a break with his wife Jill around Thanksgiving and will make a concrete decision early next year.

    However, he said he is leaning towards running for a second term.

  8. Who is Kevin McCarthy?published at 21:41 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 21:41 9 November 2022

    Kevin McCarthyImage source, Getty Images

    As the Republicans look likely to take hold of the House of Representatives, all eyes are on congressman Kevin McCarthy, who earlier formally asked his colleagues to support him as Speaker, the top leadership post in the chamber.

    Biden says he will speak to McCarthy tonight, saying: "I am ready to work with Republicans."

    McCarthy, 57, of California, has represented a heavily Republican portion of central California, including his hometown of Bakersfield, in the House since 2007.

    Having steadily risen through the leadership ranks in his party, McCarthy served as House majority leader from 2014 to 2017.

    McCarthy had a short stint as minority leader, a role in which he had a close relationship with President Donald Trump. According to US media, the former president referred to him as “my Kevin”.

    During last year’s Capitol riot, McCarthy reportedly asked Trump to ask protesters to go home during a heated and expletive-laden phone call. But days later, he visited the ex-president at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida and appeared to make peace.

    McCarthy has been widely credited with uniting the Republican Party’s various factions, but he could have a tough balancing act ahead if Republicans only secure a slim majority in the House.

    His appointment could have implications on the international stage. For example, he said that a Republican-controlled Congress would be disinclined to write a "blank cheque" for Ukraine, stymying the $52bn (£45bn) assistance package that is twice as much as all other countries combined.

    "Earning the majority is only the beginning," he wrote in his Wednesday letter to colleagues. "Now we will be measured by what we do with our majority."

  9. Biden says he will soon speak with Kevin McCarthypublished at 21:38 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 21:38 9 November 2022

    Joe Biden says that despite the possibility of a divided government, his overall vision for America has not changed.

    "I'm not going to change anything in any fundamental way," Biden says.

    On Republican Kevin McCarthy, who is eyeing the role of Speaker of the House should his party take control, Biden says he doesn't have much of a relationship with him - though he plans on speaking with McCarthy later this afternoon.

  10. I'm open to any good ideas - Bidenpublished at 21:29 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 21:29 9 November 2022

    Speaking about working with a Republican House or Senate, Biden says he is "open to any good ideas".

    He makes it clear, however, that he will not support any legislation that he believes would hurt working-class Americans, including tax cuts for the rich.

    "No one earning less than $40,000 a year is going to see their federal taxes go up," he says.

    He adds that he will also not support any policy changes to cutting Medicare or social security.

    "But I'm ready to compromise with Republicans if it makes sense."

    Biden adds the results of the midterm vote have made it clear that Americans don't want their politicians to be trapped in endless political warfare.

    "We need to be looking at the future ... and that future is as bright as can be," he says.

  11. 'We're just getting started', says Bidenpublished at 21:24 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 21:24 9 November 2022

    Joe Biden says the US midterm results indicate that Democrats have had a strong night, pointing out that the projected "red wave" - a Republican sweep of the House and Senate - didn't happen.

    "The American people have spoken and have proven once again that Democracy is who we are," Biden says.

    His party, he says, lost fewer seats in the House than what is expected, on average, for the party of a sitting president.

    Biden then highlights his work so far on pandemic recovery, rebuilding infrastructure in America and tackling inflation.

    "We're just getting started," he says.

    He says he will continue to work across the political aisle to deliver for the American people.

    Media caption,

    President Joe Biden: 'Giant red wave didn't happen'

  12. Biden: Midterm vote a good day for democracypublished at 21:17 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    Breaking
    published at 21:17 9 November 2022
    Breaking

    The president has begun his address.

    He starts by saying: "Democracy been tested in recent years but with their votes, the American people have spoken."

    He hails the US midterm vote as "good day for democracy".

    President Biden speaking at the White House
  13. The 'red wave' may only be alive in Arizonapublished at 21:08 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 21:08 9 November 2022

    Samantha Granville
    Reporting from Arizona

    Republicans across the country didn’t fare as expected, but the party is holding out hope in the swing state of Arizona. The contentious Senate and gubernatorial races are still considered toss-ups as votes continue to trickle in.

    Early polls showed steep advantages for the Democratic candidates, but as counting continued overnight, that margin tightened - a lot.

    Campaign staffers on each side maintain their optimism but are also holding their breaths.

    One Republican strategist in the state told me former President Trump is still a driving force in Arizona, and even says “it may be his strongest state in the entire country”.

    The economy has been front-and-centre for Arizonans. The inflation rate here is among the highest in the country and what voters made clear last night in Arizona is that they did not want to back the liberal economic agenda.

    The Democratic and Republican candidates could not have been more different from immigration to abortion, but the Republican strategist believes that the Democrats did not have message that appealed to voters beyond election denialism.

    “The races were judged on the economy and the border, both of which are not strong suits for [Senate candidate] Mark Kelly and [governor candidate] Katie Hobbs,” he said.

    Here are the latest results in Arizona.

  14. President Biden due to speak shortlypublished at 20:50 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 20:50 9 November 2022

    President Joe Biden is due to speak to address the midterm results at 16:00 EST (21:00 GMT).

    Meanwhile, the president has just tweeted, external a video of himself phoning election winners from last night.

    He said he "burnt the midnight oil last night" calling some election winners and said he looked forward to the work they'll do together.

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  15. Trump declares 'very big victory' despite disappointmentspublished at 20:33 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 20:33 9 November 2022

    Donald TrumpImage source, Reuters

    We have some new reaction from former US President Donald Trump.

    Over the last few weeks he has been touring the country endorsing various candidates - several of whom lost their races.

    Trump officially endorsed 174 out of the 430 candidates.

    Posting from his own social media platform, truthsocial, he wrote:

    Quote Message

    While in certain ways yesterday’s election was somewhat disappointing, from my personal standpoint it was a very big victory - 219 WINS and 16 Losses in the General - Who has ever done better than that?"

    The BBC has not verified those numbers, but we did track Trump's extraordinary endorsement spree during the Republican primaries here.

  16. Nevada's largest county will count ballots until end of weekpublished at 20:20 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 20:20 9 November 2022

    Clark County Registrar Joe Gloria

    Now we turn our coverage from Georgia to the toss up races out west - starting with Nevada.

    Officials in Nevada's Clark County are updating voters on ballot counts in the closely watched state - home to one of the key races that could determine control of the Senate.

    All ballots that were submitted in-person on election day have already been tallied, but there will be more mail-in ballots to count.

    "There is a considerable amount of drop boxes that we have received," said Clark County Registrar Joe Gloria.

    The County will continue processing ballots over the next week, he said. They will still receive mail-in ballots until Saturday, as long as they are post-marked by 8 November.

    Gloria added that unofficial results will likely be released on Thursday.

    Clark - Nevada's most populous county - has had 78% of its votes counted so far.

    Political watchers are closely monitoring the Senate race between Democrat incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto and her Republican opponent Adam Laxalt, who is slightly ahead as of Wednesday afternoon.

    nevada
  17. Who is Raphael Warnock?published at 20:09 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 20:09 9 November 2022

    Raphael WarnockImage source, Getty Images

    Now let's take a look at Herschel Walker's Democratic competitor in the Georgia run-off election 6 December.

    Democrat Raphael Warnock is the current US senator.

    It will be Warnock's third election in two years. The pastor only just won office in a special election in 2021, becoming the first black US senator from the Deep South.

    Now, he’s vying to complete a full six-year term in the US Senate.

    Warnock is a senior pastor at a prominent Atlanta church with historic ties to Martin Luther King Jr.

    He came to power in a contentious election year, securing his victory just weeks after Donald Trump lost the state in the 2020 presidential election and made Georgia a focus of his election fraud conspiracy theories.

    He has described himself as a "pro-choice pastor", supports gay marriage, opposes the death penalty and the concealed carrying of firearms.

    As Walker’s campaign was rocked by a series of personal scandals, Republicans have tried to blame Warnock for high inflation and other issues, like reports that his church has been evicting low-income tenants from apartments it owns.

    Heading into the runoff election, Warnock is slightly ahead with 49% of the vote - but still falling short of securing the 50% needed to cling the senate seat.

    Read more about Warnock's journey to the Senate here.

  18. Who is Herschel Walker?published at 19:56 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 19:56 9 November 2022

    Photo of Herschel WalkerImage source, Getty Images

    We've just reported that Georgia will hold another election in December, after neither the Republican or Democratic candidate for senator secured more than 50% of the vote.

    Herschel Walker is the Republican candidate vying for the US Senate in Georgia.

    A former NFL star, he has no previous experience in politics, but was backed by Donald Trump in for his Senate bid.

    He vowed that he would help curb inflation and reduce crime if elected - and was staunchly anti-abortion.

    Walker - whom Trump helped recruit for the Republican party - has taken a page out of the former president’s playbook to weather a series of scandals that have rocked his campaign.

    Two women claimed that Walker encouraged them to get abortions when they fell pregnant during relationships with the ex-sportsman.

    Walker denied the claims, and pitched himself to voters as a Christian running on redemption.

    Heading into the run-off, Walker has received just over 48% of the vote.

    Read more about Herschel Walker’s campaign, and why some Republican voters stuck with him, here.

  19. The latest from the three states that could swing the balancepublished at 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 19:45 9 November 2022

    Here's where things stand right now in the fight for Senate control.

    Four races - Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and Alaska - remain to be called. As we've been reporting, the race in Alaska is between two Republicans. Democrats need to win at least two of the three remaining races to hold on to power:

    • Georgia will hold a runoff election on 6 December after neither Senate candidate - Raphael Warnock or Herschel Walker - received over 50% of the vote
    • Nevada's Senate race is still rated a toss-up by our partners at CBS, and officials will keep counting postal votes that arrive before 12 November (Saturday)
    • The Arizona Senate race, which leans Democrat right now, released its tabulations in batches known as data dumps, and another one of these dumps is expected to come later tonight - so stay with us

    Senate results so farImage source, .
  20. Raffensperger asks Georgia voters to come out 'one last time'published at 19:41 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022
    published at 19:41 9 November 2022

    Speaking to reporters in Atlanta a little earlier, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger explained that the are fewer than 10,000 votes left to count in the state.

    With so few ballots left, neither Republican or Democrat Senate candidates are poised to receive more than 50% of the votes, he said.

    "I ask the voters to come out and vote one last time," Raffensperger said, adding that his office had already begun preparing run-off election ballots this morning.

    He also hailed Georgia for having a smooth US midterm election, saying that voters waited only a few minutes in line on Tuesday across the state, thanks to quick processing times at the polls.